Super Eagles goalkeeper Francis Uzoho had to sit on the bench as Neil Lennon started Fabiano in goal for the Cypriot side who had goals from Charalampous Charalampous and Brandon Barker decide the tie.
Should Gent fail to rectify the situation when they travel to Cyprus next week, they would miss a chance to play in the Europa League group stage but drop to the Conference League.
Lucky Omonia start brightly
Omonia started the game by showing a lot more attacking spirit than the home side. While the Cypriot side’s possession did not yield great opportunities, they had luck on their side. Charalampous’s shot at goal got deflected in the 20th minute of the game, leaving Davy Roef without a chance to stop the ball from going in.
As Gent refused to come into the game, Omonia continued to press, constantly attacking the home team’s defence.
Only shortly before halftime did the home team finally get to trouble Fabiano who had to stretch completely to prevent an equalizer.
Gent misses chances to equalize and gets penalized
After their unimpressive first half, Gent changed course after the break, showing more grit after making a couple of substitutions. However, unlike Omonia, they were unlucky. First Cuypers’ header hit the post and in the restart, Odjidja narrowly missed a chance to even the scores.
Gent increased the pressure but their misses cost them dearly, as fifteen minutes to the end of the game, Omonia struck again mercilessly.
Barker, who had just come in as a substitute, got too much space in the box and doubled Omonia’s lead.
Omonia Nicosia will now go into next week’s return leg at their home ground, hoping they are not the ones who get to drop to the Conference League.
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